


To Exist in this Life

by that_squishy_robot



Series: If We Pretend We Do Not See It, It Does Not Exist [3]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Also sucks at murder, Comedy, Crack, Dialogue Heavy, Do you want them to be happy, Everyone is Healthy Happy and Alive AU, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, Hannibal Lecter is a Cannibal, Hasn't grown into his classy self, He doesn't mind though, He makes up for it by being cute, I am so sorry, Jealous Hannibal Lecter, M/M, Maybe Just an Alternate Universe, Not a fan of his older self, Now has multi chapters, Smol Hannibal, Sugar Daddy Franklyn, Super rude though, Time Travel, Will Graham Knows, Will Graham Loves Hannibal Lecter, Will is just so done, Young Hannibal Lecter, Young Hannibal is an asshole, an AU with in an AU, because that's the cost, everyone is ooc, nothing makes sense, season 1 AU, was supposed to be a one shot, why is there so much dialogue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-05-29 07:24:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15068102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/that_squishy_robot/pseuds/that_squishy_robot
Summary: After an incident resulting in two deaths, young Hannibal Lecter finds himself in the future with no idea what is going on. He meets Will and the older version of himself, which only serve to make things more confusing. However, with all the time he is spending with Will, the idea of going back to his own time is not something he wants to think about.





	1. Find me

**Author's Note:**

> So you've clicked on this mess of a time line? Let me give you a quick run down so you're not confused. None of the dates will work along with canon dates. Its all a mess, but remember that young Hannibal is 21 and currently in Med school. A date is mentioned once so it won't be that bad. So just sit back and enjoy an obnoxious young Hannibal Lecter piss off his older self, and gain a massive crush on Will.

_One thing for sure, Hannibal was great at getting himself in trouble. This time around his current life or death situation was certainly caused by the fact he had just gutted someone in the middle of the woods._

_A very bad someone, he should add. However that aside, he had not planned this whole ordeal very well. It was going to be quick, so Hannibal could practice what he had been learning in medical school. However, it turned out that his current victim had not been alone and were much more interested in exacting revenge, rather than trying to alert the proper authorities. He was confident in his growing skills... just not against two armed people who were quite a bit bigger than him._

_Also not after they had already slashed down his arm with one of their knives. It had been fast and Hannibal’s only chance was to block to keep the knife from hitting his face._

_He was now running through the woods away from the cabin where he had killed the man. There was blood running down his arm and dripping into the snow, making it easy for the other two men to track him. He had to find a place to hide quick. Hannibal knew these woods well, as it was normally where he hid recent kills, he simply needed to calm his mind and think about this rationally._

_Since he was still bleeding, any hiding place would be found quickly. His only option would be the lake. His least favorite option, as it was snowing and the idea of swimming it was dreadful. If the men did not kill him, then the frostbite may. However, if he could make it across then he could disappear before the other men picked up his trail again._

_Hannibal ran off the path, into a cut of trees that would lead him through a shortcut to the river. It would give him a fifty-two second head start to climb the rocks and avoid making an easy to follow trail._

_The wound on his arm may have been worse than he thought, as it was getting difficult to ignore the growing crimson stain on his jacket. Hannibal had no choice but to ignore it for now. He climbed over the rocks and took his shoes off. Dry shoes would be a blessing if he made it out of this._

_Before he made his descent into the water, he was grabbed from behind. A knife was pushed against his throat. Hannibal escaped, by throwing himself backwards into the assailant. It managed to knock them both off balance though. Hannibal rolled to his feet as fast as he could. He didn’t know where the other man went, but at this point he needed to get rid of this one first._

_Hannibal was faster on his feet, and arguably had more understanding of how to win a fight. He dodged out of the man’s reach and went under to jab the knife into his stomach. It wasn’t clean, but Hannibal managed to at least drag the knife to the left opening the man up. With his dying moments, the man grabbed him with all his strength and they fell into the water._

_The water was deeper than Hannibal could have ever imagined, and he couldn’t make it back up to the surface. The man who was very much dead and coloring the water red, had a death grip on his for his final wishes._

_Hannibal was a strong swimmer, and he fought as hard as he could, but it was doing nothing. All he could do, was be helplessly dragged to the bottom._

~

Will’s dogs were freaking out. They were normally quiet, so this was certainly cause for alarm.

Anytime they freaked out, there was someone trying to kill him.

So, Will made his way through his property, easily missing any holes or stumps. He knew these woods so well he could walk them in his sleep… Which he had once or twice.

He had walked down to his favorite lake, taking note of anything that seemed different on his property. There wasn’t anything out of place… Unless you counted the person laying in a pool of blood that had sunken into the snow.

Yep. Just another day in the life of Will Graham. He ran over to help, or maybe to see if the person was still alive.

The blood had steam rising from it, so it had to be fresh. He rolled the person over and checked his pulse. It was there and strong. That fact did not make much sense since there was a large amount of pooled around them.

There weren’t any wounds that Will could see, besides the arm. There was however a hunting knife, so this blood might not all be from this man in the snow.

Will tried to use his empathy to recreate what may have happened.

It wasn’t really much use. He managed to get something though.

_There was a fight and a struggle. At first it was because I wanted to. Then it was in self-defense._

From that small bit, Will already knew this was a bad idea. He rolled the man over, which he probably should have done as soon as he came over.

The first thought that struck Will, was that this man was extremely young. He had to be in his early twenties at the most. The second… was that he looked like a younger version of Hannibal.

The resemblance was unsettling the say the least. The high cheekbones and jawline were uncanny.

As were the dark eyes with the unmistakable gleam of blood and destruction… Oh wait fuck!

The man who looked like Hannibal jerked up and grabbed the knife that Will really should have moved. He moved for a quick slash, however Will caught his wrist before the knife could land home. He grabbed his other wrist before he could try to escape.

They were at a stalemate, but not for long. Will could see the adrenaline fading, leaving fear and shock in its place. This person was wounded and soaking wet in the snow. He probably wouldn’t last much longer out here.

Will pressed at the veins of the hand that held the knife, until it fell out of the man’s hands.

He was saying something that Will couldn’t quite understand. It was in Lithuanian he was sure though.

Will had been trying to learn the language for the past two months as a surprise for Hannibal.

_“Aš sunaikinsiu kiekvieną organą iš savo kūno, kaip jūs rėkti iš skausmo. Jūs niekada pamatyti dienos šviesą vėl, aš …”_

God he even rambles like Hannibal. Will cut pick up vague threats about organs somewhere in the mess of words.

He tried his best to say something along the lines of ‘I’m not going to hurt you, unless you try to fucking stab me again.’

The struggling stopped, but Will had a feeling he didn’t get his point across.

Although he got the idea from the way the man was glaring at him. He was trying to remain stoic by putting a mask in place, but Will saw through it like it was nothing. An easy feat for him since he was so used to ripping apart Hannibal’s.

“Look.” Will said switching back to English to see if that would help any. “We’re getting out of this cold, before I decide what to do with you, alright? Get up.”

He made the younger man stand up and put his hands behind his back like a police officer would. There wasn’t any sign of protest just yet.

Will didn’t have his handcuffs on him right now, however they were laying on the kitchen counter for when the bureau wanted to pretend he was suited to be an FBI agent. He could handcuff the tiny Hannibal clone to the support beam in the living room. At least until he figured out what to do with him.

Will was still working on that part. He really should turn him in. This person had obviously killed at least one person, and by the looks of it he wasn’t sorry. Will could bring the FBI here, show them the blood and go from there… But for some reason his mind wouldn’t let him.

Maybe it was the similarities to Hannibal. Will would be crazy to say they were just alike. Hannibal certainly wouldn’t have let himself get caught like this. Nor would he have been so messy. Will still found he couldn’t bring himself to call Jack. Perhaps his mind would change if he almost got stabbed again.

Will whistled for the dogs, and they started their way back to the house.  
~

Hannibal’s new prison keeper had a firm grip on his wrists as they walked up to a small house that had the front door carelessly left open.

He wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but he had to find a way to dispose of this person quickly. There was a scalpel hidden up the sleeve of his heavy jacket but trying to get loose now would be almost impossible in this position.

Despite the situation, stepping into the warm house euphoric. If Hannibal wasn’t in a life or death situation, he would be thankful to be out of the cold.

The man was saying something in Lithuanian again. Or trying. Hannibal caught on to the fact he was asking if he wanted something dry to wear, even though the man’s Lithuanian was absolutely horrible.

Hannibal said nothing, which got him a tired sigh.

“You’re the one murdering in other people’s yard but go ahead and give me the silent treatment. I should really call the cops.”

The man probably thought Hannibal couldn't speak English at this point. Perhaps that could work in his favor.

A pair of handcuffs were grabbed off the counter in the kitchen, and Hannibal was lead into the living room.

He supposed he would be handcuffed to the support beam in the middle of the living room.

That would be his chance. The man would have to let go on one of his wrists in order to handcuff him to the…

 _“Don’t even think about it.”_ The man said in broken Lithuanian, as if reading his mind. _“I already took the scalpel, and my dogs will jump you if you try to attack me.”_

Hannibal looked at the large pack of dogs obediently following behind the man. They didn’t look threatening, but if the four large ones did indeed try to attack him he wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight. Especially if the scalpel really was gone. 

Instead of putting up a fight, he let the man slip off his heavenly soaking wet coat and handcuff him to the support beam. There would be another chance for escape, Hannibal just had to find it. He had been in situations much worse than this and always came out on top. 

Seeing as Hannibal was disarmed and tied up, the man left the room while his dogs happily stood guard. 

They actually were happy. Sniffing Hannibal and trying to lick his wounded arm. He really should kick them off, and injure them in some way, however that could turn bad rather quickly. Perhaps if given the chance, he could use one of them as a hostage. 

Hannibal took survey of the room, while he was alone with the dogs. It was a small but neat home, nothing to support the fact he may be brutally torchered. There was a bed in the corner of the room next to the window, and a living room area that included what Hannibal guessed was a television set, but not one he had ever seen before. 

Despite his soaking wet clothes, it really was warm here. Perhaps it was the blood loss, potential hypothermia, or shock, but he really felt like falling asleep. 

_~_

The more Will thought about this, the more he realized he was technically the one keeping someone prisoner. If it gets out, he’ll definitely be the one at fault. He could see the tabloids now, _Will Graham, the FBI’s pet serial killer, finally snapped. Kidnapped a college kid and handcuffed him to a pole._

If Hannibal wasn’t on his stupid _Business Trip_ Will would ask him what to do…. Although all of the answers would end in murder anyway. 

Will walked down stairs with a first aid kit. 

“Look. I’m going to make sure you don’t ruin the tile I just put in.” Will said in English, because he really didn’t feel like trying to translate it. He wasn’t going to get a response anyway. 

The man tied up, had chosen to sit down while all the dogs were laying on the ground around him. 

Will knew his dogs didn’t have an aggressive bone in their body, but they could look intimidating if they wanted to. He pushed them out of the way to sit down and get a better look at the man’s injured arm. 

The blood had stopped most of the way and was congealed together. Hopefully if wouldn’t start bleeding again while he cleaned it. Will had relatively good first aid knowledge from when he was a cop, but stitches were not something included in that knowledge. 

Will thoroughly cleaned the wound with saline and gauze, leaving a bloody mess of supplies, but a much better-looking arm. 

He started to wrap it tightly with the bandages. 

“You need to wrap the bandages counter clockwise for the tightest fit.” 

Will looked up and raised an eyebrow. The accent was nearly identical to Hannibal’s if not a bit heavier. He even corrected him in the same way. “Oh, so now you decided to speak to me." 

Of course, that was all he got, but at least Will knew this person could speak English now. 

He did what he was told, wrapping the arm up tightly. 

“Well if you ever decide to speak to me again, you can call me, Will." 

"You’re Lithuanian is terrible, _Will_.” 

Will laughed. “You’re lucky I know any at all.” 

“Perhaps, but considering where we are, I would assume you should know more than just English.” 

_“Where exactly do you think you are?” Will asked._

“I would say France since I do not remember any travel.” 

“You should probably try and start, because you’re in the United States. Wolf Trap Virginia.” 

“That’s impossible.” 

Will got up and turned on the television to the news. It was going on about the current weather and that they should be expecting more snow. 

“This… Does not prove anything.” 

“I mean I think there’s a newspaper around here somewhere.” Will shrugged walking into the kitchen. 

After a few minutes of shuffling, he finally found the new paper and brought it over. “See. January 19, 2014. Virginia.” 

“Two… 2014? No, you are lying to me. What plan do you have in store to go to these lengths?” 

Will shrugged. “I don’t know what happened to you, but I’m telling the truth unless I somehow ended up in France. I mean it’s possible, but I would hope someone would stop me from getting on a plane if I was sleepwalking. 

Will watched as confusion and hidden fear crossed over his _new friend’s_ face and sighed. “Well. It looks like you’re going to be here for a while. Sure you don’t want something dry to wear?” 


	2. Discussions Discussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Young Hannibal and Will decide the best course of action, after finding out some new information.

Will snuck past the Hannibal look alike sleeping in the living room. He was still handcuffed to the support beam but had changed into some of Will’s clothes. They were too big on him but did the job.

It had been a hassle for Will to make sure he didn’t get murdered, when letting him go to change clothes in the bathroom.

Once he got him handcuffed back to the support beam, Will gave him some pillows and blankets for the night.

All and all it worked out. The look alike was still shaken up about having no idea where he was, so Will supposed he probably wouldn’t start trying to kill and escape just yet.

Once again Will still had no idea what the hell he was going to do with him. Not only that, but what’s the real Hannibal going to do when he gets back and sees this?

Problems to face in the future. Right now, Will was going to make some coffee, because he had stayed up all night to make sure no one died. It wasn’t abnormal for him to miss sleep, so he’s function just fine… Probably shouldn’t drive but that’s beyond the point.

Will started making up breakfast once he finally put the coffee on. He went decided against some of the food Hannibal had left, since he didn’t get his kicks from feeding human meat to unsuspecting people. That and Wendi would pout for a week straight if there wasn’t any left for him.

“Want breakfast?” Will called when he saw that the look alike was waking up.

There was a quiet and somewhat defeated sounding yes.

“You’re getting plastic silverware though.”

Once breakfast was ready, Will handcuffed one of his new friend’s hands to the chair so he wouldn’t try anything.

Breakfast was simply bacon and eggs. Simple as it was, Will wasn’t a bad cook and it tasted good.

He was sure to think so, considering the Hannibal look alike ate three plates. “You know I’m not going to starve you or anything, right?”

“I have been in many situations where you must eat what you can when it is presented.”

 

“Alrighty then. Want more orange juice?”

~

While Hannibal felt insulted, by having to use a plastic fork, he was quite hungry. He hadn’t stopped to think whether or not the food was poisoned. However, there would be no point in that. Will already had Hannibal here and could kill him whenever he pleased. He might as well eat up and gain back his strength.

“Will. I must ask, why are you keeping me here?” Hannibal asked, setting down his plastic utensils.

“Hmm? Probably because you remind me of someone. Like really remind me of them. The resemblance between the two of you is freaking me the fuck out. He’s like 45. It makes no sense.”

“Is that really the only reason you have not turned me into the proper authorities? Even in my state, if you were to believe I have killed someone…”

“I know you’ve killed multiple people.” Will interrupted. “But go on.”

Hannibal frowned at the rudeness but kept going nonetheless. “If you _know_ I have killed someone, why not let someone else deal with me?”

“You know you’re talking to an FBI agent, right?”

Hannibal worked very hard to keep a mask in place. So, an FBI agent had been the one to catch him. Which meant he had a high chance of being locked away in a foreign country and time that he did not understand.

He was still trying to figure that last part out.

“Then I really am confused. Does your moral compass not point to having me locked away from sunlight permanently?” Hannibal was trying to use subtle forms of manipulation. The more he understood about this _Will_ , the more he could use it for his advantage.

“Sure it does. I pretend to be a serial killer for a living.” Will said. “But you can only pretend for so long before things get somewhat jaded.”

Hannibal frowned. “Then you are like me.”

“Wouldn’t say that. But I can understand you better than someone who is.”

“Then prove it.”

“Fine, but don’t start trying to stab me, just because I say something you don’t like.” Will said taking off his glasses.

_“You’re not human, at least you like to pretend you’re not. Because you’re above them. You’re different. They are meaningless, boring.”_

_“But this means you’re alone. Even worse so, at one point you weren’t. You had someone who you loved more than anything. They understood you, they were different, but they were taken just like everything else you’ve ever cared about.”_

Hannibal stiffened, trying his best to stay composed. There was no way Will would know any of this. He can’t even speak Lithuanian, he could never be part of it, but where is this information coming from?

_“If the person you love is gone, no one else should have the chance to live. If you had it your way, you would purge the world of everyone who you saw fit. But that’s impossible. So, you hunt down the few people you can. Make them disappear without a trace. It’s practice, because you have something more planned, you just have to get there...”_

“Enough!”

Will groaned, rubbing his face. He got shoved into an emotional whirlpool because of this. It’s why he preferred looking over dead bodies instead. At least there were no new emotions surfacing.

“I told you not to freak out if I told you something you didn’t like.”

“Where did you get this information?! There are no psychiatric profiles on me, and there is nothing left of my sister…”

“You’re sister?” Will questioned.

And they went back to silence.

When they were finished with Breakfast, Will cleaned up the kitchen while his guest stayed handcuffed to the table.

“So, you never told me your name.” Will finally said trying to break the silence.

“It seems you have the ability to know everything about me, so find out.”

“That’s not how it works.”

“Fine, my name is Nojus.”

“That’s a good start, now try it again, but without the lying.”

“You can’t possibly…”

“Human lie detector.” Will noted.

Gritting his teeth, he finally said, “My name is Hannibal Lecter. Now what do you plan to do with that information?”

Will simply stared at him dumbfounded. “Of course, it is.”

“I am not lying to you!” Hannibal said defensively.

“I know you’re not, that’s what makes this confusing.” Will sighed. “Hold on.” He walked into the living room to retrieve his tablet.

“What is that thing?” Hannibal asked, when Will took a seat next to him.

“Doesn’t really matter what it is, just look at what it can do.” He pulled up the website for _his_ Hannibal’s practice. The pictures were of him looking professional, standing with a few patients who had consented to being in the picture. His name, email and business number were there as well.

Hannibal read the information over, not quite understanding. The man in the picture did look like him, if not much older. He could understand where Will saw the resemblance… but this it was unsettling. “You made this…”

“There is literally no way I made this, so let’s throw that out.” Will said, offering the tablet to Hannibal to let him scroll through it.

“Then this is a coincidence.”

“I mean it’s possible. But what are the odds of someone with the same name, same accent, same looks, and same murdering tendencies to show up out of nowhere from thousands of miles away?’’ Will asked.

“...Quite low, I would think.”

“And, you don’t understand any of the technology here, or the dates.”

“Then your answer is time travel?” Hannibal asked raising an eyebrow.

“Well I like the alternate dimension theory better, but the only other option is that you’re just really good at lying.” Will shrugged. “You could just be some crazed killer that the FBI has been trying to hunt down and has been stalking me. I spend quite a bit of time with my Hannibal Lecter. It’d be easy to learn his accent and quirks if you put enough time into it.”

“Then what do you plan to do about this? You have me here. I know you are not going to kill me if I remind you of someone who I can assume is your love. That is the same reason you are not going to turn me over to the FBI. What are you going to do?”

“Let you go, I guess.”

“...”

“...”

“What?” Hannibal asked.

“I mean what else am I going to do? You do look like my Hannibal and speak like him. You’re just as obnoxious as he is.” Will explained. “Of course, you’re going to have to leave Wolftrap. The whole state preferably, so you know I don’t get murdered. I guess I’ll drive you anywhere you want to go, as long as it’s reasonable.”

“I see. If I had known it was so easy to leave, I would not have been planning your demise.”

“At least you’re honest about it. We’ll have to get you some clothes though. You don’t have anything that’s not soaked in blood, and I don’t want my clothes to end up at a crime scene.” Will said. He was mostly listing off what he would need to do in order to get him out of here.

“Ok. I agree to the terms. Forward me the bill when this is over, and I will repay you.”

“Alright. Sounds like a plan. I’ll unhandcuff you if we call a truce, and not try to kill each other. Deal?”

“Yes.”

Will unhandcuffed him and gave him the run of the house. He had already taken everything that could have been used as a weapon out and locked it in his tool shed. However, if this really was Hannibal, Will knew having a weapon really didn’t matter.

It helped that this version seemed to have very little experience in what he was doing. All of the evidence being left behind, getting injured in a fight. Will’s Hannibal would have never let any of that happen. He always understood the situation he was in and how to deal with it.

“Will. Do you have a map I can use to plot my course?” Hannibal asked him.

“Use the one programed on the tablet.”

“The what now?”

Will sighed wanting to make jokes about how his Hannibal was old but thought better of it. “Here I’ll show you.”

~

Will was outside watching his dogs chase each other in the show, when Hannibal walked out wearing one of his jackets.

It looked to big on him, and Will himself was average in size and build.

If this was the younger version of Hannibal, Will really wondered how he turned into the lean broad-shouldered man he knew today.

“Figure out what you want to do?” Will asked.

“I have found that I understand nothing here.” Hannibal sighed.

“That’s pretty evident.”

“Yes. I have ran every plan through my head, but all have failed considering I do not have a clear idea of what is going on. Most of them ended in death or imprisonment.”

“Guess you’ll have to keep thinking then.”

“It seems so.” Hannibal said. “I will stay here until I devise a safe way to get home.”

“You’ll stay here?” Will asked raising an eyebrow. He was feigning ignorance, but he knew exactly how this would turn out. There was too much for Hannibal to understand at once, and there would be no way for him to go anywhere. Whatever was happening, he couldn’t just let the tiny version of his boyfriend just wander off somewhere. Not when it would cause to many deaths, and a possible link to his Hannibal.

“You already have me here, so there is no point in leaving yet if we have called a truce.” Hannibal explained.

“I mean you’re kind of a serial killer still.”

“If it makes you feel better, I can help you take your bed to one of the upstairs rooms, and you can put a lock on one of the doors.”

“It looks like you’re not giving me much of a choice.”

“I would say neither of us have one.”

“Alright you got me. Go buy some clothes off Amazon, before you steal all of mine.”

“What is Amazon?” Hannibal questioned, the distaste quite evident in his voice.

Will couldn't help but laugh. “Here, give me the tablet.”

~~And then they were roommates.~~

~

Will had used two-day shipping to get all of Hannibal’s clothes in. It was mostly just modest sweaters and slacks. Something a regular person would use to look nice but not overdressed.

Quite a contrast to what Will was used to, but supposed people tend to change over time.

Right now, Will was sprawled out on the rug in the living room with an old boat motor he had picked up. He had taken time off work, do to this whole situation and figured he might as well make the most of it.

His uninvited house guest was looking overlooking the music shelf in disdain. “Will, do you not have… any actual music?”

“You mean music for pretentious serial killers? Check the closet by the front door.” If Will remembered right, there should be an old record played and a box of records his Hannibal like to use when he was over. Will wasn’t sure why they didn’t just use YouTube and a stereo, but to each their own he guessed.

Soon enough the house was filled with soft music, that Will couldn’t quite pick out.

It was peaceful though, and the dogs laying around him were happy enough to nap. Will was sure they missed the bed being down here, as they often liked to sleep on it while he worked.

Hannibal came to take a seat next to him as well, seeming content to watch him work.

“You know I have like two hundred channels on the T.V. You’re more than welcome to it.”

“I do not understand the programs, nor the technology.”

“Alright, try not get bored I guess.”

Will continued working, running his mind into just working on the motor. At least that way he could pretend he wasn’t extremely uncomfortable about being watched. Around twenty minutes later, another distraction presented itself.

Seemed like Hannibal was calling him… The real Hannibal anyway.

“Let me listen too.” The younger Hannibal said, after seeing the screen light up.

“You want to listen to my private conversation?” Will asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Perhaps I can understand this situation better, if I were to hear him speak.”

“Fine, but I don’t know where exactly this conversation is going to go.” He hit the answer button and put the call on speaker. “Doctor Lecter, I don’t remember setting up an appointment, any reason you’re calling me?”

_“Why yes, Professor Graham. I find myself increasingly worried about your mental state. I think your only option is to see me every night from here on out.”_

Will laughed, and the younger Hannibal simply rolled his eyes.

“How’s your _Business_ trip going?” He asked, changing the topic before this turned into phone sex.

_“Quite well, though I find myself in possession of extra meat from the butcher in town.”_

“What, did someone step on your five hundred-dollar loafers?” Will asked.

_“They are six-hundred dollars, Will, and no. They scratched the door of my car.”_

“Your rental car.” Will noted.

_“It is all the same, and quite rude.”_

“Uh huh. How long till you’re back?” Which was actually very important since Will was not about to try and explain the current situation over the phone.

_“Soon. There are a few things I need to finish up before leaving. I actually did come here on business, you know.”_

“I’m sure.” Will laughed.

_“It seems like my departure has elevated your tastes in music. Perhaps I should leave more often.”_

“You can try, but I’ve had ramen noodles every night since you left.”

_“Will. If you do not bother to take care of yourself while I am a way, I will have no choice but to drag you along with me.”_

“I’m kidding. You do realize I know how to cook, right?”

_“Sometimes I wonder.”_

“You’re ridiculous. I’m hanging up before you find out about the toaster waffles.”

_“Please continue to test me, my dear mongoose.”_

When Will hung up, the younger Hannibal gave him a confused look.

“Why in the world did he call you mongoose?” He asked.

“Well you can’t expect much when your relationship is based off murder and metaphors.” Will shrugged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying really hard to learn coding for this site, and I've got not idea what I'm doing. In the mean time since I have spent two hours trying to post the picture I want and it didn't work, here's a link.
> 
> http://oi43.tinypic.com/ms126t.jpg
> 
> I really liked the way they dressed Gaspard Ulliel for the character, and how they had the character designed. This picture is what gave me the idea for this fic. 
> 
> Not that Mads isn't my all time fave Hannibal, he is perfect. This picture just fit.


	3. Trust or Manipulation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannibal and Will are finally starting to get used to each other, unfortunately it is due to sleepwalking.

“I know what you are doing, Will.” Hannibal said, looking over the kitchen. He hadn’t noticed at first, but all the knives were missing. Most of the dishes, had been replaced with camping supplies, which were made not to break or be dangerous in any way.

“And what’s that?” Will wasn’t paying attention to him, rather he was gathering up what he needed for work. He had spent too much time here, and really needed to get back into his class. It would be nice to spend time with some young adults who were looking to hunt down serial killers instead of be them.

“You are manipulating me. You are pretending to trust me but have taken away everything that could be used against you.” It was clever, and Hannibal had easily been falling for it. They had spent the last four days together without incident. Perhaps that was why. The temptation was gone. Normally Hannibal would find this an offense punishable by death but was quite impressed with how Will had done it so easily. “I didn’t notice until the dogs all went missing this morning.”

“Well don’t feel bad about the dog thing. I won’t even let my Hannibal spend time alone with them.” Will said, as he laced up his boots.

“Even so, we had a deal Will. How can I trust you, if you refuse to trust me?”

“Ok. Prove that I can trust you alone here, and we’ll go from there. Deal?”

“I agree to the terms, but what exactly do you plan for me to do all day while you are gone?”

“Careful, I might think you’re going to miss me.” Will laughed.

Hannibal could feel his cheeks heat up, and yet he had no idea why.

“You can do whatever you want.” Will shrugged. “Go hiking or fishing, there's a general store a couple of miles from here. You can take my old land cruiser from the garage. If you want. Just don’t go to far, there are more cops around here than you would think.”

“You are giving me access to a car, knowing I could use it to go anywhere?” Hannibal asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Like you said. You trust me, I trust you. You’re not a prisoner here.”

“You are no longer subtle in your manipulations, Will.”

“I don’t have to be. You’re the one who decided to camp out here.” Will said, pulling on his jacket. “I’ll be home around five, please try not to kill anyone. The population is super low as it is.”

~

Hannibal spent most of his time, searching through the house. Will hadn’t really left since he had been there, so now was as good as time as any.

He needed to make sure he knew all of the exits, and potential weapons. Will had been pretty thorough with the latter, but Hannibal was sure there was something.

As for exits, there were plenty. The house had a good few windows, and the second level didn’t seem to be that high from the ground. He could survive the fall if necessary.

At the moment, it didn’t seem like any of this would be necessary. Hannibal and Will had fallen into relative peace for the time being. Will wouldn’t need to die anytime soon and was proving himself to be quite helpful.

Hannibal found himself in Will’s room, as he continued through the house. He certainly didn’t feel guilty about going through it.

It wasn’t the first time he had seen the room, as he helped Will move his bed up here. He still hadn’t quite figured it out as to why Will like sleeping in the living room of all places. To each their own he guessed.

Everything inside was rather neat, and for the large number of dogs in the house there wasn’t as much dog fur as one would think.

Hannibal opened Will’s dresser to see the perfectly folded clothes and looked through them to see anything that could be used as a weapon. So far there was nothing. Hannibal was relatively sure Will had a handgun somewhere but was obviously smart enough not to leave it anywhere he could find it.

The rest of the room was just as useless as the dresser… At least most of it. Hannibal had been going through the pockets of the jackets that lined the closet. His effort had not been in vain, as he came across a small pocket knife. A bit dull, but overall would get any job he needed done. He slipped it into his pant pocket, hoping Will would not realize it was missing.

Hannibal made his way down stairs, figuring he could check out the garage and the car he was technically allowed to use. 

~

Well Will had not gotten off at five like he thought he would. No, it was much closer to eight. He was crazy to have thought that he would get to spend the day in his classroom, rather than the lab.

_Look at this body, Will._

_Read over this case file, Will._

_Get here early tomorrow, Will._

At this point the might as well get a new teacher for his class.

Since it was so late, the dogs were going to have to stay at his neighbors as well. They at least liked it there.

Will sighed, he was driving up the pathway that lead to his house. The snow had painted everything white while he was gone, but at least there wasn’t the chance of a heavy storm anytime soon.

The snow reflected his head lights, illuminated a lot more than they normally would. If they hadn’t he would have seen the person slowly stumbling through the trees.

Will stopped his jeep. This was obviously private property, so the only person who would be out here, is Hannibal. Well at least the young one.

He got out and jogged over. Hannibal wasn’t wearing a jacket, and his sweater couldn’t have been doing much.

“Hannibal what the hell are you doing, you’re going to freeze to death out here.” Will scolded, however the closer he got, the more apparent it was that Hannibal was sleep walking. Fucking fantastic.

He approached slowly, trying not to scare him awake… It didn’t work.

Hannibal attacked him but was still in a state of shock and half frozen, to really do any damage.

Will grabbed his hands to keep him from hurting either of them. “Hannibal. Calm down. Wake up. You’re ok.” He said, doing his best to keep his voice low and calm. The last thing you needed to do was start shouting, even though he really wanted to yell at Hannibal to snap out of it. “Come on. Focus on me. We had a deal, remember? No murder or maiming.”

It took a few more moments before Hannibal fully snapped out of it. “Will? What? Where am I? What did you do?” He questioned accusingly.

“What did I do? You were out here sleepwalking through the snow.” Will said, taking off his jacket and draping it over Hannibal’s shoulders. “... Oh my god, you’re not wearing shoes. Get in the jeep, come on.”

He helped Hannibal inside, before getting in the driver's seat.

“Will… I don’t know how I got out here. I was in the garage.” Hannibal said, putting his hands up towards the vent of the jeep to warm them up.

“How long ago was that?”

“Certainly, long enough for the sun to have set.”

“Then you’re losing time? Fuck, we need to get you to a doctor.” Will said, putting his jeep in reverse, and getting ready to back out.

“You know that is not something we can do. I do not have any papers, or money, or records. I do not even exist in this time. Trying to go to the hospital would be a mistake.”

“What do you suppose we do then? Something is wrong, and neither of us have any idea what to do about it.”

“Perhaps going home would be a start. We can fully assess the situation. Obviously, it must have something to do with me being here when I am not supposed to be.” Hannibal said.

Will didn’t buy it of course. The calm facade didn’t work when you had the ability to see right through it. But Hannibal was right. Going to the doctor wouldn’t help, and if anything it would probably get them both arrested. He wondered how suddenly, he was so worried for his wellbeing. This was just a younger version of his Hannibal, so what ever happened to him could injure the other. Still… He felt odd.

“Alright. I guess correlation is equal to causation in this case.” Will sighed. “It looks like you hurt your head while stumbling around out there, so we’ll have deal with that as well.”

Hannibal touched his forehead and could see his fingertips come back bloody. He simply frowned instead of saying anything.

When they reached the front of the house, Will pulled up as close as he could to the door. He wasn’t about to have Hannibal walk barefoot in the snow, any longer than he needed to.

The house was thankfully warm and lit up since Hannibal hadn’t bothered to turn out any lights when he was sleep walking.

“Sit at the table, while I go get the first aid kit.” Will said walking up stairs.

“I hardly think this calls for…” Hannibal started.

“Table.”

Hannibal had done what he was told, still wrapped up in Will’s heavy jacket to chase away the cold.

Will took a seat next to him and got out the disinfectant. “This is going to sting a bit.”

“I am sure that it is not… Ow…”

Will simply laughed, as he continued to clean up the dried blood. “Try to be a creepy little serial killer all you want, everyone hates disinfectant.” He was sure Hannibal was pouting but decided not to point it out.

Will held the side of Hannibal’s face, gently tilting his face from side to side, to look for any more damage.

Seeing as there wasn’t any Will put a bandage over the mark on Hannibal’s head. To be honest, it looked worse than it was. “Here. Let me see your feet.” He said, knowing they must be cut up pretty good.

Instead of arguing this time around, Hannibal dropped his feet in Will’s lap.

“Will, you seemed rather instant on the hospital earlier. This makes me assume you have been through something similar to make you worry so much.” Hannibal said after a few minutes of silence.

“You could say that.”

“Would you elaborate?”

“I’d prefer not to.”

“Perhaps it will lead to helpful insight.” Hannibal noted, trying not to wince of Will used the disinfectant on the cut on his ankle.

Will sighed. “I had encephalitis.”

“By your tone, it is safe to assume it was a severe case then?”

“Well, I woke on the roof more than once, so yeah.”

“That is also why your bed was in the living room?” Hannibal asked.

“How about we stop talking about this and eat dinner.”

~

Dinner was a simple steak, and they both ate in silence for the most part. It was calm at least.

“I think I am going to sleep down stairs tonight.” Hannibal said, helping Will with the dishes.

 

“Don’t want to wake up on the roof?”

“I find having all of my bones intact would be better for my current situation, yes.”

Will chuckled. “I’ll put a lock on the door, so you at least stay in the house. I don’t want to have to hunt you down at three a.m.’’

When they were finished cleaning up the kitchen, the two of them sat down on the couch in the living room.

“Wanna watch Game of Thrones with me?” Will asked, kicking off his shoes and pushing them under the coffee table.

“I have no dislike for it yet.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Hannibal took the middle cushion on the couch next to Will, claiming it had a better view of the television.

~

When Hannibal woke up, he hadn’t expected to be drooling on Will’s shoulder. It seemed they had both dozed off the on the couch when watching whatever it was they were watching.

Will was still asleep, his head leaned on his arm for support.

Brave of his to sleep down stairs with Hannibal. However, Hannibal was pretty sure they had both simply fallen asleep without realizing it. 

He got up and stretched his arms. Will’s jacket weighed him down slightly. He thought about taking it off, however the room was rather cold in the morning.

Perhaps it would be a good time for Hannibal to pull his own weight, since he was living here. A simple breakfast scramble would be a nice way for them to start the morning. Hannibal supposed it would also be a good way to start thanking Will for everything he had been doing for him.

After all, a normal person would have called the cops.

Hannibal made his way into the kitchen and started on breakfast.

Sadly, the scramble didn’t turn out how he wanted. It was a waste of ingredients to say the very least. Hannibal really did love the culinary arts but wondered how long it would be before they loved him back.

How was he going to explain to Will the waste of food? There was no way he could get rid of it without him knowing. If the dogs were here, it would save him the embarrassment.

“Oh hey, breakfast.” Will said, taking a fork full of the scramble from the pan while Hannibal wasn’t looking.

“Wait, Will that is not…” Hannibal started.

“Tastes fine to me.”

“I see… Perhaps you would like to use a plate then.”

When they had gotten the table set up, they sat down to eat breakfast. Will seemed to be enjoying the scramble. Hannibal himself was not but tried to pretend that he didn’t care about the fact that Will liked it.

“How do you know I did not poison the meal?”

“Well, I would like to say it’s because you like me, but we both know it’s because you wouldn’t do something like that to the food.”

“Your statement is half wrong, but I will let you figure out which half.” Hannibal smirked.

He didn’t want to admit that he was starting to like Will to some point or another. Maybe he really did understand Hannibal in a way no one else could.

Although if this was going to be some kind friendship, then it would be a good idea to be a trustworthy person, at least mostly.

“Will, there is something I have to admit to you.” Hannibal sighed, he took the small knife out of his pocket and slid it over to Will.

“Where did you get this? I haven’t seen it in months.” Will asked, picking up the knife an inspecting it.

“I may have been going through your closet… For the purpose of finding a weapon.”

“Well, at least your honest about it, the other you won’t even admit that he went through my underwear drawer.”

“You are not angry?” Hannibal asked.

“I mean I’m kind of pissed off, but I would do the same thing I guess. At least you didn’t try to use it on me.” Will shrugged.

“Despite our rocky start, you have been nothing but kind to me. I do not plan on killing you.”

“I feel like that was really difficult for you to admit.’’ Will laughed. He slid the pocket knife back over to Hannibal. “Look since you trust me, I’ll trust you. Don’t use that on anything unless it’s a life or death situation and you can keep it.”

Hannibal smiled. “I believe I can work with those terms.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in like two days, I'm kind of proud. Guess the story is just really fun to write!


	4. Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Young Hannibal is really good at getting himself in trouble.

Hannibal and Will were enjoying breakfast with their new-found peace. They had their truce from before, but there was still that underlying feeling that one would attack the other.

“I’m gonna take a shower and get ready for work. Leave the dishes for me, ok?” Will said, clearing off the table.

Hannibal hummed in approval, deciding to take his morning a bit slower than Will’s. However, when he was done, he cleaned up anyway. There was no point in leaving the mess.

He had just finished putting up the last dish when the doorbell rang. The notion that someone would come all the way out here to see was quite odd.

However, it didn’t really worry him. He dried his hands and went to answer the door.

“Will I… You’re… not Will.” The man said, as soon as Hannibal opened the door.

“It seems so.”

“Is Will home?”

Hannibal wasn’t quite sure of this person. He held himself in a way to was meant to intimidate. Most likely law enforcement. Hannibal supposed it would be normal to see someone Will worked with, so he wouldn’t be planning to attack him. At least for the moment.

“I believe he is getting ready to leave for work. Would you like to come in. I can make fresh coffee.” He offered, doing his best to seem genuine.

“Sure. I’m actually Will’s work. Jack Crawford.” The man said, offering his hand.

 _Jack_ was trying to make himself seem less brutish now. Perhaps trying to be polite. However, if he came to Will’s house with the intent to intimidate originally, then nothing good could come from it.

“Hannibal Lecter.” Hannibal said with a firm handshake. He chose to play the part of an innocent young adult. People trusted those who seemed like they could not hurt them.

“I’m going to assume that Doctor Lecter didn’t regress in age recently.” Jack said, raising an eyebrow.

“He is my uncle.” He might as well start lying now.

“You two really do look alike. If I didn’t know better, I would think you really were him.”

“So, I’ve heard. He an my father are twins. Perhaps that accounts for the similar features.”

“Perhaps.”

They walked into the kitchen together, and Hannibal put on a fresh pot of coffee.

“Is it alright to ask why you are staying with Will? I know Doctor Lecter is out of town.” Jack asked, as they waited.

“My uncle is rather… Overprotective you could say. Despite being an adult, he doesn’t want me to do any visiting in America by myself.” Hannibal said. He would be lying if he said fabricating this story wasn’t fun. Especially when he was doing it in front of someone who could lock him away. “I suppose I can not blame him considering all of the recent killings.”

“I would agree with him, but Will is a magnet for killers unfortunately. You do know of his work in the FBI, correct?”

“Quite. I have been enjoying my stay. Working in forensics is quite an alluring thought. Will has been nothing but helpful in showing me what he knows.”

“Well you might as well join us. We’re just going to the BAU, maybe you can sit in on one of Will’s classes, if he ever makes it there.” Jack offered.

“Sounds quite interesting.”

Hannibal poured three cups of coffee. One for Will, since he could hear him moving around upstairs and knew he would be down soon.

“Hey Hannibal, do you have the tablet, my laptop is… Jack what are you doing here?” Will asked, when he rounded the corner. 

“Good morning to you as well, Will.”

“Yeah, good morning. Now why are you here exactly?” Anytime someone showed up unannounced at Will’s house, something bad must have happened. To be honest Will didn’t feel like dealing with it right now.

Jack cut his eyes to Hannibal, without saying anything. The message of, _You’re not allowed to hear this so, the term scram was evident._

Hannibal resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m going to go and get ready.” He said, excusing himself. He could get the information out of Will later.  
~

“Well, if there was any doubt in my mind that you weren’t Hannibal, it’s gone now.” Will said. They were both in his jeep, on the way to the BAU. Will had claimed that it would be easier since Hannibal was tagging along.

“How so?”

“Only Hannibal would kill someone a few days prior and then go hang out in a building full of FBI agents. How the hell did you even pull that off?”

“I did not have to. Jack simply invited me. Perhaps I am means to an end that involves you.” Hannibal shrugged.

“Well, I hope you’re ready to be bored out of your mind.”

“It is better than the alternative of sleepwalking.”

“Can’t argue there.”

~

Hannibal was told to stay put in the breakroom, while Will was in the labs. He of course did not, and figured if anyone asked, he could claim to be lost. However, he fit the age group of many of the academy students, so it was unlikely he would be stopped.

To be honest, there wasn’t anything to impressive about the building. That included the fact that Hannibal didn’t recognize any of the technology around him.

He made his way through the hallways, taking looks at the displays that were set up.

“Excuse me.” Someone called after him.

Hannibal inwardly sighed and put on his politest persona. “Yes?”

“Sorry. You just really look like someone I know… Sound like him to. Are you by any chance related to Hannibal Lecter?”

It was a woman asking him. She was what he assumed passed from attractive here. Long dark hair, and bright colored eyes.

“May I know who is asking.”

“Oh. Doctor Alana Bloom. I’m a friend of Doctor Lecter’s.” She explained, slightly flustered.

“Yes. He is my Uncle. I go by Hannibal Lecter as well.” Hannibal said, extending his hand.

Doctor Bloom took his hand smiling. “Your Uncle doesn’t talk much about his family.”

Probably because there wasn’t much to speak of, and anyone who did hear him speak of it tended to quietly disappear.

“I would not be surprised. Our family is typically quite about our history.” 

“Maybe you’ll let me buy you something from the commissary and pick your brain?”

Well it’s not like Hannibal had anything better to do. “Sure, please lead the way.”

~

The commissary was nothing special, and Hannibal dreaded to eat anything from here.

But the refusal was rude, and he wasn’t one to let anything go to waste.

So, Hannibal took a seat at the table with Doctor Bloom, and his day-old muffin.

“How did you end up here of all places? Your uncle is still out of town, right?”

“I came here with my Uncle's friend, Will. A man named Jack made the offer when we met this morning.” Hannibal explained, picking apart the muffin.

“With Will? Are you staying with him?”

“Yes, he had been kind enough to let me stay until my uncle returns.”

Hannibal sincerely hoped that wasn’t anytime soon, as he knew how he himself would act in this situation. The body count would be high.

“Oh. How are you liking it so far? I know Will isn’t the biggest fan of company. I think your uncle is the only one who is allowed to spend more than a few hours there.” Doctor Bloom smiled.

Hannibal shrugged. “I have no complaints. Will has been nothing but inviting.”

“Oh?”

“It had been odd at first as we are quite different, but eventually we found a way to understand each other. Will has even given me access to one of his vehicles.” 

Since they had gotten over the trying to kill each other part, Hannibal found it was quite easy staying with Will. They could simply exist. Will was happy to provide anything thing that Hannibal needed, to help hide him from this new world that would undoubtedly tear him apart if he were not careful.

Doctor Bloom simply laughed at him. “Do you realize you’re blushing?”

“Blushing? I believe you are mistaken Doctor…”

“Please. I am a psychiatrist, Hannibal. I think I know the signs of a crush. You get the same look your uncle gets whenever he sees Will.”

“Doctor Bloom, I would appreciate it if…” Hannibal was simply cut off again.

“Don’t worry. I get it. Do you know how many of Will’s students have crushes on him?” Doctor Bloom laughed again. “Honestly, you should see his score on _rate my professor_.”

She stood up, clearing her plate. “You don’t have to worry though. Your secret's safe with me… Try to remember you uncle is the jealous type though.”

She soon said her goodbyes and left. Hannibal stayed at the table simply trying to understand what exactly just happened. He couldn’t recall anything that would made her think something like that. Will was simply means to an end. They were friendly, yes. However, being friendly to one another was quite easy.

Hannibal found he preferred to ignore the previous conversation and accuse Doctor Bloom of projecting. It didn’t seem farfetched. The two of them obviously knew each other and were around the same age. There was nothing to suggest that there hadn’t been feelings between the two of them. One sided or not.

However, Hannibal found he didn’t seem to like this train of thought either.

This place has seemed to have lost its glamor, so maybe it was time to go and find Will.

~

It took about thirty minutes, but Hannibal finally found Will in his classroom. He was teaching a class, with his slides projected onto the wall.

Hannibal slipped in quietly, taking a seat furthest toward the side so he could avoid causing a distraction.

Oddly enough, Will seemed at ease when he was teaching the class. He went over the information diligently, pausing to let the students of the class any questions they might have.

Hannibal wondered what it would be like to have a professor like Will. He had no complaints about his current instructors so far, however it was still something to think about.

Would he be one of Will’s favorites? Would he keep his high-grade point average? If it had been like this, would Will have turned him into the FBI after finding him out?

The class eventually ended, and the students filed out. As soon as they were gone, Will laid his head down on the desk groaning.

“Are you alright, Will?” Hannibal asked, walking up to his desk. He placed his hands on one of Will’s shoulders, slightly leaning over him.

“I still have two more classes, and a profile for Jack to write.”

Hannibal tilted his head towards Will’s neck, breathing in his scent. He had always had a very strong sense and used it to his advantage when possible. Although there wasn’t really a reason to do so right now.

“Did you just smell me?” Will asked, sitting up to lean on his arm.

“Difficult to avoid, your aftershave is quite terrible.”

Will simply laughed at hearing that, making Hannibal wish he had been a bit more discrete.

“You’re ridiculous. Are you planning to stay here, or do you want to take the Jeep home?”

“How would you get back?”

“I’ll just have Jack drive me.” Will shrugged. “At least that way I can leave sooner.

“Then I’ll go home and start dinner.”

“Great. Stay away from cops.”

“I’ve avoided them for this long.” Hannibal noted.

~

Hannibal thankfully did not come across any law enforcement on his way home. Sticking to the speed limit and making sure to drive on the correct side of the road.

Will had tried to show him how to use something called google maps, but Hannibal’s perfect memory is what got him back.

He made sure to grab the mail, so Will wouldn’t have to do it when he got back.

However, when Hannibal finally got through the front door, he knew something was wrong.

He’d like to say it was because of his finely tuned instincts, although it was really because the kitchen was currently in use.

“I am glad to see you are home Will, I was worried when I did not see the…” The man stopped when he walked out of the kitchen, eyes slightly widening at seeing him.

Hannibal instantly recognized him. At least from the pictures. It was the older version of himself. However, he wouldn’t say they really looked all that much alike.

“I see we finally have the chance to meet.” Hannibal said to the older version of himself.

“Yes, but forgive my rudeness. I have no idea who you are, or what you are doing in Will’s home.”

It looked like the older version of himself had perfected his mask. He showed no signs of confusion or worry. Actually, it seemed that he looked more impressed than anything thing else.

“I think you do realize who I am, and simply choose not to believe it.” Hannibal knew he was pushing this. One wrong move and he could certainly end up dead right here in Will’s living room. The older version of himself would undoubtedly have more experience, not to mention the extra weight.

“I think I would believe that you are a poorly executed fake.” The older version of himself said. “The question is, to what gain?”

“Perhaps I simply wanted to steal Will from you. Your Mongoose?”

That may have been a bad idea, because Hannibal could practically see his older version’s hackles raise.

“And where is my dear Mongoose? You would not have happened to have done something with him?”

Hannibal found himself taking a step back, knowing he was not the bigger predator in the room. What would even happen if he was injured? Killed? It seemed he was quite good at getting himself in trouble here.


	5. Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and the dogs save the day, but you already knew that.

Hannibal had lunged at his young imposter, only just barely missing him. He certainly had youth on his side, but Hannibal had much more experience.

He cut his imposter off and tackled him onto the rug. Even with the blow being softened by the rub. The imposter still got the breath knocked out of him. Hannibal pressed the scalpel against his throat.

“I am tired of these games. Now you will tell me who you are and where Will is. I may make your death less painful if you cooperate.”

“Will is… Will is at work.”

“I would love to know how he got there without the use of his vehicle.” Hannibal said calmly. However calm as he may seem, the idea of not knowing where Will was had him in a panic. He had to know where he was, or if he was even still alive.

_“I believe you… are the one playing games here.”_ The imposter said in perfect Lithuanian.

_“I stopped playing your game, when you brought Will into this. Now, where is he?”_

Hannibal watched his imposter grit his teeth, as he drug the scalpel along the side of his neck.

_“Does hurting me bring back memories of hurting them for what they did to Mischa. Killing for someone you love?”_

__“How do you know that name?” Hannibal growled. His sister had been whipped away from existence, as much of his family had been. They only existed to him._ _

___“Do you remember the first one you killed? How you peeled off his skin, and made him beg for forgiveness?”_ _ _

__A detail that Hannibal himself could only know. It didn’t matter how this imposter knew so much about him, all that needed to happen was him to die._ _

__Hannibal slid the blade to the vein that would end him quickly, however his plan was stopped. The front door had swung open to reveal Will’s pack one by one, and then the man himself._ _

__“Will!” The both of them had shouted at the same time. However, the imposter managed to use Hannibal’s distraction to his benefit. He gained the edge to knock him away and get to his feet._ _

__He ran towards Will, however Hannibal was back up in a second. His new motive was to protect Will, as he must end up as a hostage in this situation._ _

__Instead of ending up a hostage, Will stood between them. “Ok. That’s enough.” He said gently, as if coaxing one of his strays. “Both of you.”_ _

__Hannibal was of course relieved. Seeing his Will safe, and unharmed. He was even happy to see the pack of mutts._ _

__However, he was still standing between him and his intended kill. “Will. I demand to know what is going on here.”_ _

__“You’re trying to dissect someone in my house, and decide you get to make the demands?” Will asked, raising an eyebrow._ _

__“Who is this?”_ _

__“Ok, don’t make me say this, because it already sounds stupid enough.” Will said. “But we have had a lot of weird fucked up stuff happen here. So, it’s not like there are any better answers.”_ _

__“Then perhaps you have an explanation for why you would let someone into your home, simply because they look similar to me. Do you have a death wish?” Hannibal asked. It was an honest question. Will was no stranger to putting himself in danger for simple curiosity, or desire to help a stray._ _

__“Hannibal. You’re the one brandishing a blade at me.”_ _

__And he was. Hannibal looked down at his hand, where he had the blade held in a way that would be seen as a possible attack. He nearly dropped it right there._ _

__His imposter was not hiding behind Will as Hannibal thought earlier as well. No, he was ready to attack him if he made a move to harm Will._ _

__In this situation, it seemed that Hannibal was the attacker, rather than the protector._ _

__He worked to slide his mask back in place. Masking not only the urge to kill this person who claimed to be him, but also the regret of making Will think he would harm him._ _

__Will took the blade from him gently. “Ok. Let’s sit down and talk about this like adults, instead of toddlers with weapons.”_ _

__~  
“You expect me to believe the past version of myself, has just show up in your home?” Hannibal asked._ _

__The three of them were at Will’s small dining room table now, and so far, no one had been stabbed. The younger Hannibal’s neck was still bleeding somewhat, and his sweater was beyond saving._ _

__They had spoken in Lithuanian. The younger Hannibal saying things no one would ever have known._ _

__Will didn’t try to follow along to the conversation. His limited understanding of the language made that easy. He knew it was not his place to force either of the Hannibals to give up their secrets to him. However, he was a bit annoyed that he was being left out of the conversation. He had, after all stopped them from killing each other._ _

__“I did not believe it either. I would have gone mad, if not for Will.”_ _

__At least they were speaking in English now._ _

__“Speaking of, Will you never explained why you let a stranger in your home.”_ _

__“Apparently I have a thing for angry Europeans, whose favorite pastimes are cooking and killing.” Will smiled, in hopes of diffusing the situation at least somewhat. It didn’t work, of course. “Look, Hannibal… My Hannibal. Fuck. This is going to get confusing…”_ _

__Will looked between the two of them before deciding, “Alright, sorry kid but I’m dubbing you Han now.”_ _

__“You most certainly will not!” Han said. “Do you realize how disagreeable that sounds?”_ _

__“It’s either that or Hanni.”_ _

__“I am starting to rethink our truce, William.”_ _

__“Anyway. Hannibal look we seen a lot of weird stuff. This is no different. We either find a way to fix it or wait until it goes away on its own.”_ _

__Will could see that Hannibal had his masks up. He always did when he was in a situation he could not take control of. It made it nearly impossible to read him._ _

__“Very well.” Hannibal said, standing up. “I believe I will go upstairs and head to bed then.”_ _

__Will sighed. Well that could have gone better. It could have gone worse as well though._ _

__“Alright Han. Let’s get the first aid kit.”_ _

__“Do you have to call me that when my counterpart is not in the room?”_ _

__“I can tell how much it pisses you off, so probably.”_ _

__The two of the sat down on the couch to deal with _Han’s_ injury. The blood had mostly congealed, but it desperately needed to be cleaned at this point. _ _

__“My counterpart is much easier to rattle than I had initially thought.” Han said, pulling off his ruined sweater and putting on a night shirt._ _

__“Not really, what did you even say to him? I’ve never seen him that mad before. To be honest I thought he was going to gut me there for a second.”_ _

__Han frowned. “I would not have let him… But I believe that the incident may have come from the fact… I threatened him with you.”_ _

__Will raised an eyebrow. “So as dangerous as you already are, you thought it would be a good idea to piss off the version of yourself that has had more time to define his skills?”_ _

__“It was not my best moment, Will.”_ _

__“Clearly.”_ _

__Will cleaned up the mess from both the first aid and the fight, along with help from Han. There wasn’t too much damage, though Will’s favorite lamp was shattered beyond repair._ _

__Han looked at the remains and frowned. “I am sorry. I started a fight in your home, not thinking of the damages it did to your property and almost your person.”_ _

__“Well, I’m not going to say it’s fine, but just try not to do it again and we’re good.” Will smiled._ _

__Han could feel his face heat up, seeing that smile directed at him. For someone who had a semi-permanent frown… Will had a nice smile._ _

__“Wanna watch T.V. with me for a while?”_ _

__“I would not mind watching more of that completely period inaccurate show with the dragons.”  
~_ _

__Han woke up to the smell of breakfast. He was wrapped in a blanket on the couch with one of Will’s pillows. That and the warm sunlight streaming from the windows made him want to stay like that just a bit longer._ _

__However, what dragged him from his makeshift bed, was the fact the dogs were gone, which meant Will was too. He must have decided that both Han and his counterpart would not try and kill each other this time around._ _

__Ignoring the desire, the wrap up in the blankets to walk to the kitchen, Han tidied up his bedding before leaving._ _

__“Vegetable omelets, with a side of freshly butchered ham.” Hannibal said, when he joined him in the kitchen._ _

__Han decided he would try and play nice, at least for the time being. “Thank you.” He took a seat across the table, not missing the fact that his counterpart seemed to be a rather good chef. Will must have thought that Han’s last few attempts at cooking were terrible if this is what he compared it to._ _

__“It seems Will trusted the both of us enough to leave for work, but not leave the dogs in our care.” Hannibal said, pouring freshly made orange juice._ _

__“I do not blame him after yesterday.”_ _

__“Of course. So that brings me to the question I have wanted to ask since last night. What exactly are your plans with Will?”_ _

__Han put down his utensils, which he noticed were not plastic. He really must not register as much of a threat to his counterpart. “I do not know what you mean.”_ _

__“Trapped in our time is one thing but staying with Will is another. I would never seek help from a stranger without a plot for more gain. So, I ask again, what are your plans with Will Graham?”_ _

__“Will is my friend.” Han said sternly. It was the truth, wasn’t it? He had at least some faith in Will, and to let him stay here must mean he felt the same way. “Perhaps it is you with some greater plan. After all, it was you who had nearly attacked him.”_ _

__That seemed to register no reaction from him._ _

__“I would never hurt, _My William_.”_ _

__“Then it may help to tell _your William_ that. He confided in me about his fears of you gutting him last night.”_ _

__That seemed to do it. Han could see his counterpart clench his jaw._ _

__“Will knows that I would…”_ _

__“Does he? You saw the look he had when he jumped between us.” Han decided to stop while he was a head. He would not get so lucky as for Will to walk in at just the right moment.  
~_ _

__When Will came home around five, with his strays in tow around, it was god sent. Han had not quit while he was ahead, rather he simply took breaks in between breaking down his counterpart’s patience. However near the late afternoon, he knew he was pushing his luck._ _

__“Will!” He said smiling, noticing that was genuinely happy to see the man._ _

__“Hey, the house isn’t in flames. Looks like you two managed to play nice.”_ _

__“Hello to you to, Mongoose.” Hannibal said, giving Will a quick kiss._ _

__Han pretended that the exchange didn’t bother him. That it had no reason to._ _

__~_ _

__Dinner was a simple affair, and Han jumped at the chance to help Will wash dishes. Real dishes, not the ones designated for camping._ _

__“You finally trust me to use a real plate?” Han asked, tilting his head toward Will with a smirk._ _

__“Not on your life.” Will laughed. “But I can deal with one of you complaining about how undignified camping dishes are, not two.”_ _

__Hannibal was wiping down countertops, to finish cleaning up the kitchen. “Mongoose, would you mind stepping outside with me for a moment?”_ _


	6. Protest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will is so done with them.

Hannibal lead Will outside, shutting the door before his counterpart could follow out of protest.

“You’ve got that look.” Will said, leaning against the side of the porch.

“And what look would that be, Darling?”

“The _you’re lucky I like your heart beating_ look.”

Hannibal did his best not to flinch, hearing Will say that. Normally he would have found humor in it, because he believed his mongoose always felt safe in his presence. 

“Seriously Hannibal, talk to me. Ignoring problems is going to make knives look a lot more interesting.” 

“Stop Will.”

“Stop what? I don’t understand what’s going on with you.”

“I had an interesting conversation with my counterpart earlier this morning.” Hannibal said. “That you confided in him over your worry of me killing you.”

“Ah…”

“Do you truly believe I would hurt you, Will? If so, why have you not turned me into to Jack?” It was difficult to keep a mask of indifference on. Especially when he knew that Will could see through it when he really tried. However, he was angry. Angry and hurt. The two of them had been through so much together, and Will couldn’t trust him? What did that mean for them? For the relationship they had built up?

“It’s not that, Hannibal.” Will sighed. He was refusing to make eye contact, which meant Hannibal was only making him retreat. “I don’t worry about you killing me. At least not like this… But you’re different when you have the intent to kill, even if it’s not directed at me.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have this look. Like you would kill anything in your path to do what you wanted. When you’re like that… It feels like you could cut through me without a problem. It may very well be an accident, and you may even regret it after. But when you’re in that mind space, I’m still prey to you.” Will explained.

For once, Hannibal was at a loss for words. He couldn’t find a way to explain to Will he could never hurt him. But was that the truth? Will certainly had a point. Hannibal could do it. He could have eviscerated him last night, simply because he was standing in between him and his current prey.

Hannibal had never wanted to think of the possibility that he could ever hurt the man he loved. The idea of having Will’s blood on his hands nearly made him physically sick.

“I understand your concern, Will. However, I will do everything in my power to make sure you never feel that way again.”

“Does that mean not cutting Han open, no matter how annoying he gets?” Will asked, tilting his head. He was smiling now, much to Hannibal’s relief. “Because I worry about you getting hurt on a daily basis.”

“I believe that I have done well, considering my counterpart is quite rude.”

“He is, isn't he. You two are almost completely different. Some part of me always imagined that you were always the way you are now. Like you just popped up from the void with your suits and cheek bones.”

“I would prefer it that way, so I do not have to relive so of my more embarrassing moments from my youth.”

“I like seeing your embarrassing moments. I get to pretend you’re human like the rest of us.” Will chuckled leaning in to nuzzle Hannibal’s neck.

“My dear Will, if I am above humans than you certainly are as well.”

Will simply hummed and let Hannibal lead him inside.

Han was sitting on the couch, with the smaller scruffy dog, Buster, using him as a pillow.

Will plopped down next to him, pulling the dog away, as if it was personally offensive that it liked anyone other than him.

“Since we are all here, there is another matter I would like to discuss.” Hannibal said, standing in front of them.

“It’s not as emotionally draining of the last one, right?” Will asked, earning a curious look from both Hannibal’s.

“No, rather this is a discussion on how we should move forward with this situation.” Hannibal explained. “I believe it would be better for Han to stay with me, in the meantime…”

“Absolutely not!” Han shouted standing up and slamming his hands on the coffee table.

The only way Hannibal could avoid breaking his neck, was by imagining himself doing so, to sate his anger.

Will, sensing this, stood between the two of them. “Adults, remember? Not toddlers with weapons.”

“If Will is not asking me to leave, then I am staying.” Han said defiantly.

“I do not trust you to be alone with Will. You have already proven yourself to be to not only be dangerous, but also but also quite rude.”

“I’ve proven myself dangerous? You tried to kill him!”

“Guys…” Will started, only to be cut off.

“I have never intended to hurt Will, you on the other hand.” Hannibal Said, glaring down his counterpart.

“Guys.” Will tried again.

“Will has already shown that he trusts me.”

“Then that trust is certainly misplaced.”

The argument was cut off by a loud bang. All seven dogs had jumped at attention near Will’s feet, baring their teeth. Will had thrown a book hard enough on the coffee table that it had nearly sounded like a gunshot.

“Both of you shut the hell up.” He started, glaring them both down before either could say anything. “This is my house, and you’re going to follow my rules, or else neither of you are coming back.”

“My apologies, Mongoose.”

“I am sorry, Will.”

Will sighed, rubbing his temples. “Look, Hannibal you’re not going to get a choice who stays in my house, ok? I would let Leather face stay in my house just to prove a point.”

“Of course…”

“Han, you’re welcome to stay here if you really want to. But stop fucking trying to get yourself killed, because I’m not going to explain to the FBI why there’s a dead college kid in my living room, got it?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now I’m going to watch Game of Thrones with my dogs. If either of you don’t like it, go somewhere else.” Will sat back down on the couch, kicking his feet onto the coffee table.

Instead of moving, Han and Hannibal simply watched him quietly. Like puppies who had just been scolded.

“Oh my god, just sit down.” He groaned.

So that was how he ended up squished between two serial killers on a way to small couch, watching a period inaccurate show about dragons.  
~~

It was cold. Han couldn’t feel his feet, or the rest of his body at that moment. He registered that his eyes were closed, and it took more effort than he would have liked to open them.

Of course, the first thing he saw was the glisten of the snow that cradled him in place.

It was too dark to see, but there was no way he was near the house… Will’s house.

Han tried to move again but was completely stuck in his own mind. He tried to yell as well, but there was nothing.

Would Will have even heard him if he managed to?

It was too dark and too cold. The fact was nearly suffocating.

However,… There was the sound of crunching snow coming towards him. Again, Han tried in vain to move, hoping that it was Will or one of the dogs. Even his older counterpart would suffice. Just someone to get him out of the little piece of hell.

The sound got closer, and Han realized that it was not the normal sound of boots crunching through snow. There was a definite crunch and drag to it. A shadow loomed close to him, and Han could smell the stench of old blood. He hoped that he could at least get a look at whoever this was, before they killed him… If they killed him…

However, the very human part of his mind screamed at him to close his eyes. To embrace the fear, he was feeling and curl into himself.

A moment later, it was over. He was standing now. He was standing in the woods, at least two hundred feet from them house.

There wasn’t any snow, as it had mostly melted away the day before. Although, Hannibal could still feel the chill down to his bones, and he longed to feel the warmth of Will’s home.

~~

“Hannibal get off. I can’t focus with you hanging off me like this.” Will groaned, only halfheartedly trying to push him off. He was tasked with cracking the eggs, by Hannibal himself.

“We have had very little time together, Will.”

“In my defense you did have that little episode, as soon as you met Han.”

“Yes, and I believe you did not bother to come up stairs that night either. Rather you stayed down stairs with him.”

Will scoffed. “Well someone had to clean up the mess.”

Hannibal hummed, pushing Will up against the counter. “Perhaps, but that does not change the fact we have not been close to one another in quite a while.”

The two of them kissed, pulling each other close to chase away the chill of the morning.

“And you want to change that by fucking in the kitchen, while we have a guest?”

“I believe my counterpart would enjoy the show. After all, he certainly is rather attached to you.”

“Wait, are you jealous… of yourself?” Will asked, pushing Hannibal’s face away from his firmly.

“That person is not me. At least not the version you have come to know.”

Will sighed, because only Hannibal could be this dramatic. “Maybe not. But if anything happens to him, then something happens to you, so let’s take this in strides.”

“Is this a _no_ to having sex on your countertops then?”

“Oh my god…” Will groaned. However, he let himself be pulled back into a kiss, so perhaps it wasn’t a no.

The dogs decided to interrupt them this time. They barked and jumped at the door.

“What is it guys?” Will called, as if they could answer back.

The door opened on its own, so that fact did not have to be acknowledged.

Han stumbled in, half frozen and dead tired.

“Fuck. Are you ok?” Will asked, pushing Hannibal off him to rush to his aid. He caught Han just before he fell over. “What the hell were you doing out there?”

“I… don’t know.” Han mumbled, curling closer into Will’s hold on him.

Hannibal sighed, walking to the front door in no real hurry. “Let me see your hands, so I can check for frostbite.”

Han held his hands out to Hannibal, as Will checked him over for any other injuries.

“Sleep walking again?” Will asked.

Han nodded, deciding he wasn’t going to speak until he could do so without his teeth chattering.

“Again?” Hannibal asked.

“Found him in the snow last time.”

“Other issue that you have decided to keep hidden from me?”

“No. I think that’s about it. Come on, help me get him to the couch.”

Both Will and Hannibal helped Han to the couch and pulled a blanket over him.

“There are no signs of early frostbite, we will not be amputating any of your appendages.” Hannibal said, walking over to the closet for more blankets. “But you might not be as lucky next time, and you certainly shouldn’t be spending any more time sleep walking in the cold.”

“I would avoid it, if I knew how.”

“Well we can’t leave you alone.” Will said, sitting back on the couch, next to Han.

“I’ll cancel my appointments for the day.” Hannibal sighed.

“No. I’ll stay, Alana is covering my lectures, because she wanted to try out some new material. So, it’s not like I need to be there any way.”

“Are you sure, Will?” Han asked.

“Yeah. It’s fine, we’ll marathon Netflix all day”

Hannibal frowned, and Will knew it was because he didn’t trust Han around him. But what else were they going to do.


End file.
